The Granite Way is a route of 18 km (11 miles) consisting mainly of a motor traffic-free cycle/walkway between

Okehampton Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 7,313, which was slightly more than the 7,104 recorded at the 2011 census. Th ...

(near the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

) and

Lydford Lydford, sometimes spelled Lidford, is a village and civil parish, in Devon, north of Tavistock on the western fringe of Dartmoor in the West Devon district. The parish covers an area of , and at the 2021 census had a population of 370. The ...

. It was built by

Devon County Council Devon County Council is the county council administering the English county of Devon. The council is based at Devon County Hall in the city of Exeter. The area administered by the county council is termed the non-metropolitan county, which is ...

(DCC) and is part of the National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 27 ‘

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

Coast to Coast’ between

Ilfracombe Ilfracombe ( ) is a seaside resort and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the North Devon coast, England, with a small harbour surrounded by cliffs. The parish stretches along the coast from the 'Coastguard Cottages' in Hele Bay towar ...

and

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

. It is maintained jointly by DCC and

Sustrans Sustrans ( ) is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network. Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United ...

. Currently, the Way is supported by a Sunday-only train service during summer months to and from

Okehampton railway station Okehampton railway station is a terminus railway station on the Dartmoor line serving the town of Okehampton in Devon, England. The station closed to regular traffic in 1972, but heritage and occasional mainline services ran from 1997 to 2019 ...

providing links to nearby

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

run by DCC and

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

. The Granite Way largely follows the course of the former Southern Region railway line. The route includes notable features such as crossing the

Meldon Viaduct Meldon Viaduct is a disused railway viaduct crossing the West Okement River at Meldon, Devon, Meldon, south-west of Okehampton, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, South West England. This truss bridge was constructed from wrought iron, instead o ...

and Lake Viaduct both of which were formerly railway bridges and are of historical interest. The Granite Way featured in ''Five of the best scenic bike rides in Devon''. Much of the Way is within

Dartmoor National Park Dartmoor is an highland (geography), upland area in southern Devon, South West England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National parks of England and Wales, National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers ...

External links

The Granite Way Cycle Trail
– Dartmoor Tourism

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Granite Way Cycleways in England Footpaths in Devon Rail trails in England

See also

External links

References